


The April Fools

by AnniBanani838, Etheriell, gaymerkree, LonerWolf34, Mikotyzini, NeurovascularEntrapta, TheGreatWeissShark



Category: RWBY
Genre: Collaboration, F/F, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:54:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23448850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnniBanani838/pseuds/AnniBanani838, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Etheriell/pseuds/Etheriell, https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaymerkree/pseuds/gaymerkree, https://archiveofourown.org/users/LonerWolf34/pseuds/LonerWolf34, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mikotyzini/pseuds/Mikotyzini, https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeurovascularEntrapta/pseuds/NeurovascularEntrapta, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGreatWeissShark/pseuds/TheGreatWeissShark
Summary: A collaborative work for April Fool's day. In which Weiss tries to ask Ruby out on the worst day ever.
Relationships: Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Comments: 21
Kudos: 273





	The April Fools

**Author's Note:**

> 10 separate writers. 1000(ish) words each. A random writing order. What could go wrong?
> 
> We decided to try and find out! This is a collaborative work where 10 separate writers each contributed 1000(or so) words to a single story. You may have read works written by some of them before, while others tried their hand at RWBY fan fiction for the first time.
> 
> It was a lot of fun to create, and we hope you all enjoy the end result!

**TheGreatWeissShark**

“That’ll be 11,100 lien,” the florist said cheerily after ringing up Weiss' purchase. “You spent a long time choosing these. Are they for someone special?”

“Yes,” Weiss replied with a small smile, tapping her credit card on the payment terminal. 

“I hope they like it.”

Weiss carefully picked up her bouquet and held it to her chest, blushing shyly as the florist giggled at her. 

Things had to go perfectly, they just had to. Weiss had been planning for this moment for weeks, though the daydreams she’d have about telling Ruby how she felt had been going on for much, much longer.

It began shortly after their second year at Beacon began. They’d been apart all summer, but they stayed in touch texting and calling whenever they could. Ruby had been a flurry of activity all throughout the break, it honestly made Weiss' head spin trying to keep track of everything. 

On the first day alone, Ruby had flitted between catching up with her old Signal friends, a movie, lunch at a greasy spoon, visiting the smallest armament shop Weiss had ever seen, fishing with Yang and Blake who tagged along, then an early dinner, and finally— _finally_ —Ruby ended her day atop a cliff facing the sunset. She sent Weiss a photo of herself with the sun to her back and a tranquil smile on her face that made Weiss miss her all the more. The messages that quickly followed after simply said “I miss you,” and “I wish you were here with me.” Weiss wished she was there too.

Weiss had never paid much thought to the peculiar, giddy feelings she felt when Ruby was near. She assumed they were purely platonic because Ruby had told her she felt these things too one night on a balcony overlooking a sea of stars. Weiss remembered that day well, not because her father had called to complain but because Ruby had looked so shy and timid standing next to her. Though, for the life of her, Weiss couldn’t recall what she herself said, too lost in the way Ruby's lips curled up in a smile as the mischievous wind played with her hair, blowing it out of her face and giving Weiss a good look at her pretty silver eyes. That was the first time Weiss felt her heart skip a beat in Ruby’s presence. There were other notable moments where it happened, but that night and that photo were the ones that truly struck a chord with Weiss. 

Those feelings she felt stirring inside her weren’t “platonic,” as she desperately tried to make herself believe. They were Romantic with a capital R, and they were so hard to resist.

Ruby Rose was a hazard to Weiss' health. She made her heart race and her mind go into overdrive. How can one girl undo nearly two decades of strict upbringing and even stricter morals? It didn’t make sense, but one big, toothy grin from Ruby was all it usually took for Weiss to throw all her doubts and worries away. 

Which brings Weiss to her current predicament. She’d been playing a game of cat and mouse all day, trying to talk to Ruby, but that girl refused to sit still. Every time Weiss thought she’d finally caught up, Ruby was gone leaving nothing behind but rose petals to show where she went next. Infuriatingly enough, it was Yang that gave Weiss a solution to her problem. 

“Just text her to meet you?” Yang said as she snacked on some chips in the dorm common room. Weiss tried to come up with an excuse to explain why she hadn’t thought of it herself, but the words died on her tongue. “Nice flowers. That baby’s-breath?”

“Mhm,” Weiss grumbled as she shot Ruby a quick message to meet her out on the library balcony. 

In true Ruby fashion, she had beaten Weiss to the balcony by a few minutes, but the scattered petals on the floor meant Ruby had used her semblance to get here.

“You didn’t have to rush,” Weiss said with a huff, thinking about the poor students her partner startled. 

“You said to get here quick,” Ruby replied, rocking back and forth on her heels. “So what do you need?”

“N-Nothing,” Weiss blushed, “I actually… I actually called you out here to talk about something important.”

Ruby quirked an eyebrow and tilted her head. “Oh? Er, actually, is this going to take long?”

“Huh?” Weiss shook her head. “No, I don't think so.”

“Oh, cool! Then can we reschedule?” Ruby impatiently asked. “I actually have a thing to do in, like, a few minutes.”

“I’m sorry,” Weiss said with a crestfallen sigh. “I won’t take up much of your time. I-I just…” 

Weiss tried to force out the words she’d spent days practising to get right, but all that came out was silence. 

After a minute of waiting, Ruby began looking antsy.

“Is everything okay?” she asked, looking concerned.

“Everything's fine,” Weiss replied quietly. “I'm sorry I called you out here on such short notice. We can talk later.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

“Well, if you say so,” Ruby said. “I gotta get going now though, Coco’s gunna show me how her gun works.”

“That sounds fun.”

“Yup! Anyways, bye, Weiss,” Ruby said, flashing Weiss one her heart stopping grins. “And nice flowers, don’t forget to put them in water!”

Then just like that she was gone, leaving Weiss and her bouquet behind.

“But… they’re for you,” Weiss whispered, staring down at the long-stemmed red roses she spent well over an hour choosing. 

* * *

**Zen**

Weiss stared at the spot that Ruby had occupied mere moments before. The slowly falling petals from Ruby’s semblance seeming to mock the bouquet still loosely gripped in her hands. As she listened to the quiet murmur of books being stacked, students whispering, and pages being flipped from the library before her, Weiss’ despair at her fumbled confession rose up within her like a wave.

Why couldn’t she just admit how she felt about her partner? ‘I like you a lot Ruby, will you go out with me?’ Two simple thoughts, a short sentence, less than a dozen words and Weiss couldn’t even manage it. Once again her sheltered upbringing and assurance in her own capabilities clashed and proved that despite her well-bred pedigree and intelligence, she was a failure when it came to regular social interactions. 

Her self recriminations came one after another, each causing a painful clenching sensation in her chest. A startled and partially muffled squeal, followed by the solid _thud_ of a book falling to the ground within the library near the balcony door caused Weiss to jump and pulled her from her self-pity. She blinked her eyes, shocked to find she was on the verge of tears and unsure of exactly how long she had been standing there. Glancing around furtively to make sure she was alone, Weiss rubbed at the corners of her eyes with her sleeve and took a deep breath. Pushing her self-doubt to the back of her mind, Weiss reluctantly acknowledged that she needed to revise her plan of attack. 

Squaring her shoulders and pushing past the balcony doors, Weiss strode with purpose through the library to convince others not to bother her and hoped the projected confidence would become the real thing. She had to lean sharply to the side to avoid another student hurrying past in the opposite direction, clutching the front of their shirt as if in terror. Weiss frowned at the strange behavior, but pushed her curiosity aside for later consideration. After all, she had a more serious concern. 

Making her way back to Team RWBY’s dorm, Weiss idly noted that the halls seemed more lively than usual, peals of laughter and startled exclamations ringing out with surprising frequency. Dodging around a student running with what looked like a plate of whipped cream but more likely a pie, Weiss decided her bout of melancholy on the balcony was coloring her perspective. There was no reason for today to be any different than any other, so she was only noticing others’ happiness as a contrast with her own mood. 

Sighing as she opened the door to the dorm, Weiss had to fight to hold off another wave of self-pity as her musings reminded her of her failure and the long-stemmed roses she still held in one hand. Closing the door and her eyes, Weiss was a moment from sinking to the floor when she heard the creak of a bed and realized she wasn’t alone in the room. Her eyes snapped open and looked for the source of the noise, hope and dread fighting for supremacy as she wondered if Ruby had beaten her back to the room. 

“Hey Weiss,” Yang said from her bunk, looking up from a magazine just as Weiss’ eyes fixed on her. 

“Oh, it’s just you,” Weiss grumbled as she leaned back against the door, tone less composed than she would have liked. 

“Good to see you too, Ice Queen,” Yang drawled with an eye roll. Her lilac eyes flicked down to the bouquet hanging from Weiss’ hand. “You still walkin’ around with those? Dontcha think you should put ‘em in water?”

Yang’s words, so closely echoing Ruby’s earlier comment, brought Weiss’ tightly coiled feelings back to the forefront of her mind. She bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut to avoid letting any tears leak out. 

“Wha- Hey Weiss, what did I say?” The creaking of springs and a none-too-gentle _thump_ gave Weiss a moment’s warning before Yang spoke again much closer and with evident concern. “What’s wrong?” 

Taking a deep breath and mastering her emotions for the second time that day, Weiss opened her eyes and found that Yang had crossed the room and was standing in front of her. Quickly deciding that she needed to share her situation with someone, even if only to get her emotions out and under control, Weiss mumbled, “I was actually trying to give them to someone else…but they didn’t give me the opportunity.” 

To Weiss’ great surprise Yang let out a short bark of laughter before responding, wiping a smirk off her face once she remembered Weiss’ distress. “Sorry for laughing, I, uh, owe Blake 10 lien now…” Seeing the confusion on Weiss’ face, Yang quickly explained, “Me and Blake had a bet going about when you’d try to ask Rubes out. I figured it’d take you more time to work up the nerve...and I didn’t put two and two together with the flowers cause, I mean, with today’s date I figured it was someone else’s idea of a prank and-” Weiss, fighting off her blush, raised her free hand and cut off Yang’s flustered rambling. 

“Putting aside your childish bet for the moment, what are you talking about? What does today’s date have to do with anything?” Weiss’ tone fading from commanding to plaintive by the time she finished speaking. 

“Come on, Weiss, it’s the first of April. What did you expect me to…” Yang’s response petered out as she saw the sincere confusion on Weiss’ face. “Weiss…do you not know what April Fool’s Day is?” 

* * *

**Rubilacxe_Rose**

(Ruby’s POV)

Why was it so hard to act normal around Weiss? They were partners, the best of friends, and absolutely _nothing more than that_. What was so complicated about that? It’s not like Ruby had poured out her heart to her partner about her deep, more-than-platonic feelings about said partner and then been rejected in favor of staying friends...right? 

Nah, that would be too dramatic. And Ruby was definitely _not_ dramatic. Or in denial. Nope, not at all.

“Alright, Red, spill.” Coco’s sudden change in tone broke Ruby from her distracted thoughts. Oh yeah, they were in the academy’s armory, taking apart Coco’s super-awesome weapon, Gianduja, and Coco was showing Ruby its inner mechanisms and how they functioned.

Feeling Coco’s intense stare through her designer shades, Ruby shifted in her seat and met her upperclassman’s gaze. “What do you mean?” she asked hesitantly. “You’re the one showing me how your weapon works.”

Coco raised an eyebrow, but otherwise remained still. “That’s what I’m _attempting_ to do,” she replied, “but you’ve clearly got something else on your mind. Or should I say, some _one._ ”

“W-what?” Ruby stammered, glancing away. “No, I’m listening.”

“Right, and I’m secretly dating your dad.”

“ _What?!_ ”

Coco’s eye-roll was obvious even through her sunglasses. “Look, kid, anyone can see what’s been going on between you and your partner,” she said matter-of-factly, “even _my_ partner, who’s _literally_ blind.”

Ruby felt her face heating up and tried to look Coco in the eye as she insisted, “There’s nothing ‘going on’ between me and Weiss, besides our sparring practices.”

A smirk formed on Coco’s lips. “And as an outside observer, I can see the sparks that fly when you two are locked in combat, and I’m not talking about Weiss’s Dust attacks.”

“...You’re not dropping this, are you?” Ruby noted with a sigh of resignation.

“Not until you get this off your chest,” Coco replied with a smile that was half-smug, half-concerned. “You’re running yourself ragged, and for you that’s saying something.”

Ruby leaned her elbows on the table and pressed her fingertips to her temples, trying to figure out how to explain herself. “So...Weiss is my best friend. And I’m her best friend. And we’re partners, which is how we ended up becoming best friends, or even friends at all. Aaand...then I realized I liked her, in a not-platonic kind of way. So I told her. But she didn’t feel the same way. So we’re just friends, best friends, and I’m happy to have her in my life.”

“But you’ve barely been in her life,” Coco interjected, a slight frown having settled onto her features. “Anyone who pays attention — and I pay attention because I’m a caring, responsible upperclassman — would notice that you’ve spent these past months everywhere _except_ with Weiss as much as possible. It doesn’t take my genius brain to know that something’s wrong.”

“Okay, so it hurts that she doesn’t see me the way I see her,” Ruby admitted, idly doodling in the margins of her weapon-design notebook. Upward curve, downward curve. Downward curve, upward curve. “Maybe I have been spending less time with her. It’s hard to act casual when I’m around her, so I have to get over my feelings and focus on being a good friend and partner.”

Both girls were silent for a moment, the only sounds coming from a few other students tinkering with their weapons at a table across the room and the soft scratching of Ruby’s pencil on her notebook page. Loop upward, downward curve, downward curve.

“Is that strategy working?” Coco asked, her voice a bit gentler than usual.

Ruby sighed again, staring absently in the general direction of her pencil. “I don’t know,” she mumbled. Clockwise curve, counter-clockwise arc. Clockwise curve, counter-clockwise arc.

“If I had to guess,” Coco began, her eyes fixed on Ruby’s paper, “I would say it definitely isn’t.” She reached forward and placed a hand on top of Ruby’s right hand, catching the younger girl’s attention.

Ruby’s left hand stilled, then lifted her pencil off the page to reveal the product of her unconscious scribbling: five squiggly, flowy cursive letters that spelled out ‘ _Weiss.’_

Ruby dropped her pencil and buried her reddening face in her hands. “Urrgghh this is ridiculous!”

“Hey, no need to beat yourself up over this,” Coco said as she rested her hand on Ruby’s shoulder, giving the younger girl a shake. “It’s really common for Huntsmen and Huntresses in training to develop feelings for their teammates, especially their partner. We’re paired up for the sake of combat and learning, but that bond can often become much deeper, and that’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

“But it’s not that simple,” Ruby mumbled, lowering her hands back to the table. “It would be one thing if Weiss felt the same way, but she doesn’t, and I have to respect that.”

“And it’s good that you’re respectful of her boundaries,” Coco replied, “but I honestly don’t think either of you is reading the other accurately, the way you’ve been dancing around each other all year.”

“But I _told_ her I like her!” Ruby protested. “And she said she considered me her closest friend.” She looked up at Coco, the memory of rejection dimming her silver eyes. “Weiss doesn’t want anything beyond friendship with me, and I —”

“Hold on,” Coco interrupted, raising a hand to stop Ruby from continuing. “Just bear with me for a moment. How _exactly_ did this conversation go?”

Ruby focused for a moment on recalling that evening on the balcony. “I said I wanted to talk to her… I said, ‘I like you, Weiss.” And she said, ‘I like you too, Ruby. You’re my closest friend, and I can’t imagine what I’d do without you.’ Then I said —”

“Okay, there’s your problem,” Coco cut in again. “You and Weiss used different versions of ‘like.’ Are you sure that she knew which kind you meant?”

* * *

**Harq**

_Why can’t_ anything _ever go according to plan?_

Weiss sat on the edge of the cliff above the Emerald Forest staring down at the bouquet she picked out for Ruby. The oranges and reds of sunset reflected through the small crystal vase she’d put the flowers in. She no longer really cared if they died, but it seemed like the easiest way to get people off her case. That was wrong, it turned out. Instead, all it did was shift people’s attention to her. Every person she ran into who knew her asked the same damned question.

_Are you ok? What do they expect me to tell them? The truth? They actually expect_ me _to talk_ _to_ them _about Ruby?_

Eventually, she’d had enough, hence the Emerald Forest overlook. Not that it was helping much, mind. This was where they’d become partners, where her life had changed for the better for the first time in _years_ . She didn’t know it at the time, of course. Always so blind to the things which _actually_ matter. She wanted to slap herself. Tears that had been dry for hours threatened to return, and her eyes misted.

_I can’t believe I picked the_ one day _where nothing can be trusted to tell her…_

Weiss put the flowers down, buried her head in her hands, and sobbed. She’d come out here with Ruby many times since initiation just to talk and “hang out”, as Ruby had put it. They’d spent hours up here just talking about… Everything. Their lives before Beacon, their plans, their hopes for the future…

_This is where I realized I’d fallen for her. Why did I think this place would help?_

She cried in earnest now, thinking back on all the time they’d spent together. Her hands balled into fists, one raking through her hair while the other punched the earth out of pure frustration. The shock of it sent a bright, pale blue pulse through her Aura.

_What did I do wrong? I hardly see her, and when I do, she always cuts it short… Runs, like… Like she secretly can’t stand me…_

She grimaced, screamed, and tore at the grass, throwing a handful out over the cliff’s edge. Harsh breaths slowly calmed as her face fell.

“Why won’t you just give me five minutes?” She whispered to herself as she hugged her legs to her chest and put her forehead on her knees. “What did I do to drive you away?”

She cried silently to herself, just sitting there numb to how much time passed. The sunset gave way to dark orange, then red, then purple. By the time she heard footsteps approach, the sun had gone beneath the horizon to twilight. She didn’t look up as whoever it was walked up to join her.

“Oh, hey Weiss,” Ruby greeted flatly, sitting down next to her.

_She sounds down. Join the club._

“Hello, Ruby,” Weiss responded, voice muffled by her knees. “Did someone prank you?” She asked dryly.

“No,” Ruby sighed, missing the sarcasm. “I… Just needed to clear my head and… go somewhere quiet to think, ya’ know?”

“I know the feeling,” Weiss sighed back, still not looking up. She could almost _feel_ Ruby turn to look at her.

“Why? Did someone prank you?” Ruby asked, concerned.

Again, Weiss shook her head. “No, I just…”

Ruby interrupted her. “Was it whoever gave you those flowers?”

Weiss squeezed her eyes shut harder, barely holding back a sob. “No one gave these to me, I… I… Bought them as a gift…”

“For who?” Ruby reached out and put a hand on Weiss'. “Weiss, are you ok?”

Suddenly, the heiress’ head snapped up, fully crying now. “Ok? _OK!?_ Do I look ok to you, Ruby?” She shouted, standing and stomping a heel into the ground.

“Weiss, what’s…” Ruby began, only to have Weiss cut her off.

“You’re going to ask me what’s wrong, right?” She said, glaring through tears and pointing at her partner as her voice got louder and higher. “Well, here’s what’s wrong! I asked you to meet me to talk about something important, and what did you do? Do you give me five minutes of your time? No. Instead, you blow me off almost immediately to go look at Coco’s gun! _Coco’s gun!_ You know, the one she’s been offering to show you for months now. The same one you never made time to look at?”

Ruby broke eye contact and looked down at her knees. “Weiss, I’m sorry… I just…”

Weiss’ eyes narrowed. “Just _what,_ Ruby?” She accused, throwing her arms up in frustration. “These last two months have been nothing but _just_ this and _just_ that!” The heiress’ voice quieted down and started shaking from crying. “Do you know how much it hurts when the person you care about most goes from always being there to making excuses and avoiding you? Don’t think I haven’t noticed, Ruby,” Weiss’ voice cracked, “I feel like we’re drifting apart…”

Ruby looked up, teary-eyed. “Wait, you care about _me_ most?”

Weiss’ eyes hardened and her fists balled. “Yes, Ruby, I care about you more than anything,” she said lowly, quietly, “but I don’t know where we stand anymore.”

Before Ruby could respond, the heiress spun, took two steps to one of the initiation springboards, and launched herself into the forest.

“Weiss, wait!” Ruby yelled desperately, watching her partner fly off. She made to move to a pad herself, only to have her foot knock over the vase full of flowers. As she went to set it back up, she noticed the tag had opened. The Reaper gasped and cried as she read it.

_For Ruby – The One I never knew I was waiting for._

* * *

**LonerWolf34**

Ruby pulled the tag gently off the beautiful roses and clutched it close to her chest. In trying to get over her own feelings she hadn’t taken into consideration how Weiss would interpret her distance. She had to make this right! She tucked the tag carefully into her combat pouch before she launched herself into the forest to find her partner.

As her height descended from her fall Ruby extended Crescent Rose and caught her blade on the top branches of the closest tree. She swung herself upwards once more and lurched herself forward into the branches of the adjacent tree. There she perched and collapsed Crescent into her compressed gun form, but left her scope extended. She looked through her scope down into the depths of the predominantly green terrain below. She searched for any hint of white that she hoped would be Weiss. Eventually she spotted a blur of white in the distance, and without a second thought used her semblance combined with a few shots from her sniper scythe to propel herself in the right direction. 

Landing with her weapon in hand, Ruby was about to call out to Weiss when she saw the glow of a Deathstalker stinger in the near distance. “Weiss!” She screamed and leapt into action with the fully extended Crescent Rose in hand. The sharp blade taking the stinger clean off the Grimm in one quick movement.

“Ruby behind you!” Weiss shouted as Ruby turned around just in time to see a second Deathstalker’s pincer coming towards her. She raised her weapon to block the hit, but had no need as a glyph appeared beneath the beast’s feet and froze it in place. This reminded her of the first time Team RWBY fought together, back when she was still just trying to get Weiss to like her. Now they were best friends, even if she wanted more. She looked to the ice princess that had captured her heart, who had tears staining her face. She wondered if that note meant Weiss wanted more too. But first she had to fix what she treasured most - their friendship. 

“Weiss…” She said in a soft tone, leaving the Grimm behind her to struggle against its icy restraints. “I’m sorry, I just - when I look at you it hurts-”

“I’m sorry I’m so painful to look at…” the heiress muttered and turned away as she felt the hot tears well up in the corners of her eyes.

“No no no! Weiss! That’s not what I meant!” She desperately reached out to touch Weiss’ shoulder. 

“Then what do you mean Ruby?! It’s become clear to me that our friendship is nothing more than a burden to you these days!” Weiss turned her head over her shoulder to yell at her partner. She could literally hear her icy heart shatter as she saw the look of shock and hurt on Ruby’s face. 

“You’re my best friend Weiss, and if that’s all you wanted to be then I accept that, or well, I tried to but instead I couldn’t look at you because I wanted so much more. It hurt, I hurt, and I accidentally hurt you when that was the last thing I wanted,” Ruby admitted in a whisper as she looked into watery blue eyes. She wrung her hands together nervously as Weiss’ eyes widened in horror. The heiress raised her hand in her normal glyph casting form, and Ruby panicked thinking she was about to run away from her again. Ruby cut Weiss off before she could speak, “Weiss wait I-” Before she could finish, she felt a sharp pain in her back and found herself flying across the forest. 

The Deathstalker had broken free of its ice prison and had managed to swipe at Ruby with its large pincer before Weiss’ protective glyph had fully formed. “Ruby!” she heard Weiss call for her in the distance, followed by an angry scream. Before Ruby had any further time to react, her momentum was suddenly stopped by a tree.

“Ruby, come on Ruby please be okay!” She heard a soft voice plead. 

Ruby opened her eyes and let out a loud groan of pain. She blinked a few times and looked up into crystal blue eyes. “Weiss?” She whispered. “So glad you’re okay.” She reached up and cupped the heiress’ cheek.

“Of course I’m okay, you dolt! I’m not the one who went flying face first into a tree after a Deathstalker attack.” She felt her bangs being swept back off her face as Weiss leaned down closer examining her head. “Are you hurt?” 

“Don’t think so.” 

“Ruby Rose, you need to be more aware of your surroundings! What if you had gotten hurt or worse!” 

“That’s why I have you to watch my back.” She smiled up at the snowy haired beauty. “You’re so pretty Weiss, like an angel..” Her hand slid down Weiss’ cheek and landed back on to her own chest. 

“D-dolt!” The heiress blushed a light pink. 

Ruby reached into her combat pouch and pulled out the tag from the roses and handed it to Weiss. “I’m so sorry I left you waiting…”

* * *

**AnniBanani838**

Weiss reached out and took the tag from Ruby’s hand.

“Ruby, I-”

She turned away when a piercing screech came from behind them. It seems the pair of Deathstalkers didn’t really care about the moment they were trying to share.

“We need to talk about this,” Weiss said, helping her to her feet. “Just not right now.”

With that Weiss turned to face their enemy, and she did the same whilst unfurling crescent rose. 

A line of glyphs appeared on the ground and with nothing more than a brief look, Ruby knew what to do. Using a burst from her semblance, she dashed forward. Using her momentum, she slid under the legs of the first beast whilst firing to enrage and distract it. Once she was back on her feet, the Deathstalker was already turning to face her. Past its hulking mass, Ruby could see Weiss readying her attack. Ice shot forth from a set of glyphs, freezing the back end of the Deathstalker to the ground. 

She gave a brief fist-pump of success - she always thought Weiss’ ability to manipulate elements was just so cool! However, whilst she was marvelling at her partner's abilities she’d forgotten about their second, still mobile problem. Despite being disarmed of its main weapon in the form of its missing stinger, a monster the size of a Deathstalker was still incredibly dangerous - and deceptively fast. 

“Ruby look out!” was the only warning she got as she turned away from her partner, but before she could do anything, she was once again meeting the backhanded swing of one of those enormous pincers. 

The breath was knocked from her lungs and in less than a second later, she hit a wall of rock which made her head spin. She pushed herself back to her feet in time to see Weiss freeze the feet of the second stalker before leaping over their adversaries with the aid of some well-placed glyphs and landing in front of her with a worried expression on her face. 

“Ruby are you alright??” Weiss fussed over her to check for any obvious injuries, but when she didn’t find any she looked back at Ruby’s face.“I really don’t need you making a habit out of taking hits like that” 

She scratched the back of her head sheepishly, “What can I say, I guess I’m a little distracted today.”

Weiss blushed a little at that, “I suppose we both are.”

The sound of ice cracking drew their attention away from each other as the troublesome pair of oversized bugs began making their way over to them, backing them squarely up against the cliff wall. 

Looking around for a quick solution Ruby spotted a small cave opening in the wall.

“Weiss look!” Ruby said as she folded away her scythe and grabbed Weiss’ hand. “We can hide in there for a bit and catch our breath, or maybe they'll lose interest and we can sneak away later.”

“Ruby, I seriously doubt that a pair of Deathstalkers will simply lose interest in us-” but it was too late and she was already being dragged toward the dank and dirty space. She supposed there wasn’t much harm in taking a break. Two Deathstalkers were a lot even if they were huntresses in training. The entrance was small - just high enough to accommodate them so there was little risk of the cave being home to something like an ursa.

As they ducked into the cave, Weiss blinked as her eyes adjusted to the low light. She turned to Ruby who was peering further into the darkness of the cave.

"I think this cave goes quite far back."

Before Weiss could reply there was a deafening crash followed by rumbling as bits of dirt fell from the ceiling.

“Ruby, we need a way out of this, and I really don’t think that wandering into the dark is going to be it.” 

“You know what, you’re right - as usual. Don’t worry though! Give me juuuust a second, and I’ll have a plan in no time.”

“You always do” 

They smiled at each other with that, but there was another defining crash and more rumbling - except this time the rumbling didn’t subside after a few seconds. 

Weiss glanced over to Ruby, but she seemed just as worried as Weiss did. 

“That’s probably not good, is it?”

As soon as the words left Ruby’s mouth the ground beneath them began to shift as even more of the ceiling came crumbling down.

Before she had time to even think about casting glyphs, she lost her footing. Before she knew it, she was sliding down a steep slope, a bundle of red beside her. Without realising, they grabbed onto each other just in time to see the slope end abruptly.

Although Weiss would never admit it to anyone, she might have screamed as they flew off the edge, but she couldn't really tell since Ruby was screaming just as loudly into her ear. After a few seconds, she came to her senses and casted some glyphs to slow their descent, but they still landed with a thump in a heap. 

As she sat up, so did Ruby, and they were suddenly sitting with their faces an inch apart. Their earlier conservation came rushing back, but neither of them made to move away. A blush was creeping onto her cheeks, and she could see the same was happening to Ruby. Weiss’ thoughts were just starting to convince her to lean a little closer when a strangled sound somewhere between a screech and a roar came from one of the many tunnels that now surrounded them. 

Weiss gave their new surroundings a proper look for the first time. They were in a sort of round cavern, and she couldn’t see where they had fallen from as it was masked by inky darkness. On every inch of the wall were tunnels of varying sizes. Some were too small for them but some so large she didn’t want to meet what made them. 

“This is going to be a long trip back to Beacon isn't it?”

* * *

**gaymerkree**

They walked in moderate silence, the only sound between them the soft scuff of boots and heels. Weiss' thoughts were a silent storm, whirling between hope and despair. Ruby's words ran on loop in her head, the pain reflected in silver pools, and the earnest declaration of affection. _What did she mean?_ She was unaware she'd slowed to a stop until Ruby's voice broke the silence.

"Weiss, are you alright?" 

“I’m fine.” She snapped without thinking, but when she looked up to see genuine worry in silver eyes, she sighed. “Sorry, yes I’m alright Ruby. Just a lot on my mind right now.”

The redhead hummed, moving her arms behind her head as she walked, “So we should talk about it.” Weiss scoffed, feeling her cheeks flush slightly.

“Not now you dunce, we’ve-”

“Got a long walk ahead of us, and I don’t see any sign of Grimm nearby.” Weiss grumbled, forced to admit her partner was correct. 

With a few determined strides she moved forward, motioning for Ruby to follow. Their silence lingered differently. Ruby let Weiss think, waiting patiently. 

“I’m your best friend, right?” Ruby hummed, smiling brightly at Weiss before nodding. “And you said-”

“If that’s all you want to be, I’ll respect that.”

“Right, that.” Her pace slowed but didn't stop, “So you’d like to be… More?” With a flush, Ruby nodded silently, allowing Weiss to continue. “How… How much more?” 

There’s a steady rumble through the cave, and Weiss shot Ruby a deep frown as they moved to a soft jog. The redhead herself had the decency to look embarrassed as they each moved to the sides of the opening, running along the edge to avoid any falling rocks or stones. The shaking stopped, and the duo thought maybe their dangerous friends have given up the hunt permanently this time. 

Up ahead the path narrowed, and Weiss sighed, moving to take point and gesturing for Ruby to move behind her. They sank low as the pathway narrowed further, and Weiss could feel how close Ruby was behind her. 

“Slow down dolt! You’re making it hard to breathe!” Ruby apologized softly, slowing down to give her partner more space, but when Weiss stopped completely, she nearly scuttled into her. 

“Why’d you stop?”

“The path is too narrow, I can’t get through.” Weiss sighed, thumbing Myrtenaster at her hip. She could see a glint in Ruby’s eyes, and rolled her own, “I can’t use Dust, there’s not enough space.” 

Beside her, Ruby hummed, inching to look over Weiss’ shoulder to see what the path looked like. Unintentionally she huffed against the heiress’ neck, causing the shorter girl to tense. 

“Let me see if I can do something. Maybe I can fit Crescent Rose through.” The request was easier said than done. Weiss moved to one side of the small pathway, trying to flatten herself to the wall, while Ruby did the same to the opposite wall. Ruby’s boot caught on a loose rock, and sent one leg shooting out, causing her body to slide and forcing Weiss to tumble on top of her. 

They both gasped softly, now nearly nose to nose, and Weiss felt her face heat up further, and she tried to scramble away from the equally flushed redhead. Managing to extract herself from Ruby, she shifted behind, and Ruby was able to wedge Crescent Rose through the opening and unfurl her. The next movements were slow and precise, as she slid the deadly scythe back into the hole with them, and used the flattened blade to file softly at the sand and stone. It took several minutes, but eventually the hardened pathway gave away, and Ruby tumbled from the hole, only to be caught mid-fall by a familiar white glyph.

“Dunce,” Weiss scoffed fondly, setting the flustered redhead toward the ground, before building herself a staircase of glyphs.

Ruby rushed to the end of the pathway of glyphs, holding her hand out to her white-haired partner and bowing lightly. “Princess,” she hummed, and Weiss flushed again before taking her outstretched hand and walking the few steps to the cave floor.

They could already see light coming from the end of their path, so Ruby scooped Weiss up in a soft flurry of her semblance. They settled to a stop at the opening of the path, pink rose petals fluttering around them, and Ruby grinned, before taking the heiress’ hand, and walking out towards the woodsy outcropping. 

* * *

**Etheriell**

As the two stepped into the welcome remaining light of the sunset, they took a moment to pause and breathe in air that was at least moderately fresh. Ruby glanced about, looking for a familiar landmark, before squeezing Weiss’ hand in excitement and pointing with her free hand. “Look, it's the cliffs!” A decent ways away, the familiar set of cliffs that they were once launched from rose above the treeline, giving the two a good heading for their trip back. 

“Well, I suppose we should start making our way back before it gets dark,” Weiss replied, studiously avoiding looking at their joined hands, the only indicator she was affected was the light pink dusting her cheeks.

“Y-yeah, we should,” Ruby replied, her voice trailing off a bit. Weiss took a step forward but found herself halted by Ruby’s hand. Ruby stood still, head looking down, as she gently pulled back on Weiss’ hand in her grip. Weiss turned back to look at her, already fairly confident where this was going.

“Ruby?” 

Ruby sighed, lifting her head up. A soft, rueful chuckle left her mouth. “We’re really bad at this, aren’t we?” 

Weiss’ smile stretched across her face, being well aware Ruby didn’t mean the fight against the Deathstalkers. “I think that’s a given.”

“We need to talk, you know...and sooner, rather than later,” Ruby took a small step forward, closer to Weiss. Both girls felt their faces heating up by the proximity, but neither felt the urge to step away.

“You’re right, but I’m not sure here is the right place to have that discussion,” Weiss replied, finding herself unconsciously taking a small step closer to Ruby in response. By now, the two girls were separated by only a few inches, hands still clasped tightly.

“But I don’t wanna talk about it in the dorm,” came Ruby’s firm reply. Weiss giggled, her free hand reaching out and taking Ruby’s other hand. The two stood linked, facing each other, as the sun dipped lower below the horizon, the gentle sounds of the night time forest creatures beginning to echo throughout the woods. Though the air had begun to chill, Weiss found herself feeling warm, the gentle grasp of Ruby’s hands in her own keeping her comforted as she looked into the pools of mercury before her. 

As if she were worried about disturbing the moment, her voice was quiet as she replied, keeping her gaze locked on Ruby’s. “The cliffs then? We don’t have much time before it’s dark.”

“Hmm…” Ruby contemplated as she looked at how much forest was between them and the cliff face. Her head cocked to the side as she mentally calculated the distance, eyes narrowed. A moment later, she looked back into ice-blue eyes with a grin. “Do you trust me?” 

Weiss’ smile turned soft, trust evident in her eyes as she spoke quietly, “Always.” Ruby gave a similar smile in response, taking a deep breath. In one fluid motion, she scooped Weiss up into her arms, the heiress squeaking in surprise as she found herself carried in Ruby’s surprisingly strong arms. Face flushing, she looked up at Ruby to protest a second sudden carry, but found her breath vanishing as Ruby blurred into motion, the softly falling petals the only indication of their presence left at the mouth of the tunnel. 

* * *

**Supplier**

The two girls quickly arrived at their destination, thanks to the help of a certain red-headed girl’s semblance. As they slowed to a stop, Ruby set Weiss down so that she could stand on her own two feet and stepped away for a moment before they both ended up just as close as before. Weiss wasn’t sure if she was looking forward to this talk but she didn’t want to postpone it either. 

“S-so… We needed to talk, I guess?” Ruby stammered out. Weiss took a step away from Ruby and gave her a long look, suddenly thinking about what day it was and desperately hoping this wasn’t some cruel trick.

Weiss gently sat on the grassy cliff, thankfully in a much calmer and less upset fashion than earlier. She was hopeful that this would work out as she thought it might. Time had been passing, and she had been able to think about everything she had heard earlier. And yet doubts were always present.

“I suppose we do. But before we actually talk about this, I have a small question,” Weiss said as Ruby sat next to her. When Ruby’s response was to patiently listen with a curious look directed at her, Weiss continued. “This all isn’t some elaborate April Fools joke or prank is it…?”

Ruby’s eyes widened as she realized what Weiss was implying with that. “No! I would never do something like that. And even if I was pranking you, a prank that messes with someone's emotions like this has always been off limits in my opinion…” Ruby stated, a bit panicked at first, but steadily grew a bit quieter.

“That’s good to hear. I’m not sure I would know what to do if it was,” Weiss sighed in relief and gave Ruby a small smile. She was much more willing to have this talk now that they had dispelled that small issue. Ruby gave her a smile in return as they fell into a short but awkward silence.

“So anyway, let’s talk I guess?” Ruby said as the two sat next to each other on the cliff, the sun slowly starting to fall behind the treeline. 

Weiss hummed before looking over at the girl next to her. “Earlier you said that you were sorry for making me wait? Or something akin to that. Did you mean…?” Ruby had a light blush as she recalled saying that, and a slightly downcast gaze as she remembered why.

“Yeah. Your card said that I was the one who you didn’t know you were waiting for? So I, uh, said sorry for keeping you waiting. For avoiding you lately and not giving you much of my time. I’m sorry for doing that.” Weiss could tell that she really was regretful of the choice, but she also knew that this was just the beginning of their little talk.

It took quite some time, and as they sat and talked, the sun slowly finished its arc through the sky. Not only did they talk about the feelings they had and how each of them felt, but they talked about trivial things as well. Weiss was mostly just glad that they could have the time to finally sit down and talk to each other and enjoy each other’s company once more. Eventually Weiss stood up and sighed, attempting to dispel the nervousness she was feeling.

“So… Ruby? This feels a bit belated as I’m sure I could’ve asked earlier… but would you consider going out with me?” Weiss asked, her face growing pink as she looked at Ruby through the corner of her eyes. Ruby smiled as she joined Weiss in standing, wrapping the other girl in a hug.

“I would love to,” Ruby responded. The two stood there for a bit, looking over the cliff edge. Off to the side stood the vase of roses, happily blooming as Weiss and Ruby began getting ready to head back to Beacon, already knowing that they were in for a treat for being out so late without telling anyone.

* * *

**Mikotyzini**

As soon as they entered their room, Ruby walked over to the dresser, and Weiss lingered at her desk. Neither of them said a word while going about their evening routines, but words weren’t necessary at the moment. They’d talked enough that they were both on the same page - perfectly and seamlessly in sync, just as it should be.

Their silence drew attention from the other half of the room, however, where the other half of their team watched their every move with increasing curiosity. It wouldn’t be long before Yang or Blake said something...though most likely Yang, who never could help but say something to end a moment of peace and quiet. In the meantime, Weiss methodically put away her textbooks and kept her gaze far away from Ruby.

“So…?” Yang finally asked, and Weiss turned towards her with a blank expression.

“‘So’ what?”

“So what happened?? Did you guys talk? Make up? Make _out?_ ”

While Yang giggled at the question, Blake shook her head and Weiss realized that _this_ was what she just signed herself up for. An eternity of teases, embarrassment, and playful remarks at her expense.

The idea couldn’t have made her happier.

“Actually, we’re breaking up.”

As soon as Ruby said the words, the smile dropped right off of Yang’s face, and Weiss fought very hard to keep one off of her own.

“What?” Yang’s voice was a whisper now as she looked between them, silently pleading for one of them to explain.

“Ruby and I talked,” Weiss replied with a quick glance Ruby’s way. “And we decided that we’re no longer fit to be partners. So I’m leaving - Professor Goodwich already agreed to assign me to a different team.”

For several long seconds, stunned silence settled across the room. For once, Yang had nothing to say, as her jaw hung open and her gaze turned to Ruby for answers. Even Blake, who’d found Yang’s teases funny just moments prior, hardly moved while waiting to see what happened next. Weiss, meanwhile, walked over and pulled her suitcase from underneath her bed.

“Wait, wait, wait.” Yang gently pulled Weiss’ hand away from the suitcase, forcing her to sigh as she stood and faced the girl. “You can’t be serious,” Yang said, her gaze again going to Ruby. “Ruby, you’ve just gotta talk it out with her! Tell her you love her or something!”

Now Weiss was blushing, and she noted a similar hint of red on Ruby’s cheeks as she struggled to hold a serious expression in place.

“It’s for the best, Yang,” she managed to say before pulling herself up onto her bunk, leaving Weiss to suffer the brunt of Yang’s concerned gaze.

“Weiss...”

“Thank you for everything,” Weiss said while hugging Yang in a preemptive apology. After pulling away, she smiled and patted Yang’s shoulder. “And happy April Fool’s Day.”

For a split second, she worried that she somehow messed up the joke. Then Ruby giggled, and realization flashed through Yang’s eyes.

“Holy sh-” she began, only to lean forward and clutch her chest. “ _Damn_ , you guys just got me so good!” Laughing now, she patted Weiss’ shoulder several times before holding on and turning towards Blake. “Did you know they were pranking us?”

“I suspected…” Blake replied, even though Weiss wasn’t sure that was the truth. But that didn’t seem to matter now, as Yang laughed and pulled Weiss into another quick hug.

“That was a _good_ one!” Yang said while Ruby hopped off her bed with a grin. “I should’ve known you’d learn fast. But does that mean you guys finally talked?” 

“We did.” When Ruby smiled at Weiss, Weiss ducked her gaze and felt a much deeper blush creep onto her cheeks. That blush, unfortunately, didn’t escape Yang’s notice.

“Oh, do _we_ need to have a talk now?” 

Fortunately, Ruby came to Weiss’ rescue...only to make her blush further by holding her hand and gently tugging her close.

“That’ll have to wait,” Ruby told her sister with a big grin. “Professor Goodwitch caught us out late, so we have to clean the cafeteria tonight.”

“Later then.” After holding that protective aura for a few seconds, Yang broke into another smile and gave Weiss one last hug. “I’m looking forward to it,” she added before letting go and giving Weiss a gentle nudge towards the door. “You two have fun! But not too much fun. Just...the _appropriate_ amount of fun.”

Unsure of what that meant, or if she even wanted to know, Weiss willingly followed Ruby into the hall and watched her partner wave before closing the door behind them.

“You did awesome,” were the first words out of Ruby’s mouth. The compliment combined with their sudden solitude only increased Weiss’ blush, which probably wasn’t going away anytime soon.

“You did really well too,” she muttered in response. Her heart skipped a beat when Ruby again held her hand, which Ruby seemed to pick up on by the look she sent Weiss’ way.

“Is this ok?”

“It’s -” Weiss began only to fail to find any words to say. How could she explain how much the gesture meant to her? How could she describe just how much she’d missed feeling this...connected and intimate...with her partner? “It’s really nice,” she managed to say, hoping that would be enough to convince Ruby not to let go.

And Ruby didn’t let go. Instead, she happily swung their joined hands while they walked towards the cafeteria to fulfill just the beginning of their punishment. Surprisingly, it didn’t feel like much of a punishment at all. An hour each day of devoted time together? That sounded a bit like heaven to Weiss.

“I meant what I said, by the way,” Ruby said after not too long, drawing Weiss’ gaze to hers. “About never making you wait again.”

“I believe you.” Just as Weiss smiled, Ruby stopped in the middle of the hall and gently turned Weiss towards her.

“That reminds me.”

Before Weiss could even question what Ruby meant by that statement, Ruby grasped her hand, leaned forward, and pressed a soft, sweet kiss to her cheek. 

The moment lasted only an instant, but her heart felt like it might jump right out of her chest. That feeling only grew when she saw the way Ruby was smiling at her - as if she was the only person around.

“Didn’t want to make you wait for that,” Ruby whispered before clearing her throat and gesturing towards the doors. “But we should get to the cafeteria, probably, to clean and stuff.” Spotting the deep blush on Ruby’s cheeks, which surely matched her own, Weiss smiled but said nothing while they walked to the cafeteria hand-in-hand. 

These feelings were still new to her, but knowing that Ruby shared them was everything she’d ever hoped for. They had a lot to learn on this new journey they were embarking upon, but she knew there was no one else she’d rather share her heart with. 

And if they were going to be fools, at least they would be fools for each other.


End file.
